Early Childhood Teachers

Our Early Childhood Teachers engage our youngest students in a play-based approach to learning and exploration, which incorporates the children’s interests as well as their individual needs when planning short and long term activities. Our teachers appreciate the whole child and promote an open dialogue with students so they can identify their own passions and contribute their own ideas.

Preschool

• Mary Franklin

  She/Her/Hers
  B.A. in American Studies and Elementary Education, Muhlenberg College 2007
  M.L.S. in Library Science, University of Maryland 2009
  Mary.Franklin@du.edu

  Mary relocated to Colorado from her hometown of Washington, DC. She has worked in teaching and administrative roles in preschools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington state in both play-based and forest school settings before joining the Ricks team. Mary holds degrees in education and library science and incorporates her interest in diverse children's literature, social-emotional learning, and nature into the classroom. She loves being part of the Ricks community at DU.

• Sha’von Glasper

  Ms. Sha’von Glasper has taught pre-kindergarten at Ricks for several years and has worked with children for over 20 years. She is trained in project-based and social-emotional learning through her early childhood coursework. Her deep love for children inspires her to continually seek opportunities to expand her knowledge and understanding of early learners. A Colorado native, Sha’von lives with her husband, daughter (who will begin at DU next year), and their two cats. She loves music and finds joy in inspiring others to be their best in all they do. Her warm yet structured approach brings balance and comfort to her classroom, while helping children build strong communication skills and confidence in their learning environment.

Pre-Kindergarten

• Sarah Howell

  She/Her/Hers

  B.A. Psychology, University of Denver, 2021, with an emphasis in Cognitive Neuroscience

  M.A. Early Childhood Special Education, University of Denver (expected graduation August 2025)

  This is Ms. Sarah's 7th year teaching in early childhood. Born and raised in Denver, she attended the University of Denver and graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Her studies mainly focused on early childhood psychology/development and cognitive neuroscience. In her free time, she enjoys watching cooking shows and trying the recipes she learns, snowboarding with her dad, and spending time with her family—Dario, Aleah, and their two dogs, Gus and Morty. They have recently started fishing as a family. 

• Morgan Friedman

  She/Her/Hers
  M.A. Education and Human Learning, University of Denver 2017, with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education
  B.S. Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Missouri, 2016

  This is Morgan's seventh year teaching in an early childhood setting and she is heavily inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education and learning. She is passionate about play based learning, supporting the whole child, inquiry based emergent learning, and restorative practices. She moved to Colorado seven years ago to complete the Boulder Journey School program and earned her MA in Education and Human Learning. She grew up in Missouri and she spends a lot of time traveling there to visit with family and friends. She lives here in Denver with her husband, Kyle, and their golden retriever, Sadie. In her free time, Morgan loves to ski, camp, hike, backpack, travel, and read. 

Kindergarten

• Lauren Hayward

  She/Her/Hers
  B.S. Strategic Communications, University of Colorado Boulder
  M.A. Learning, Developmental, & Family Sciences (ECE), University of Colorado Denver
  lauren.hayward@du.edu

  Lauren is so excited to join the Ricks community as an EC Teacher! She recently finished her Masters degree at CU Denver in Learning, Development, and Family Sciences and worked as a preschool teacher at the Boulder Journey School. She is passionate about advocating for the rights of young children, supporting young children to see and achieve their full potential, and social-emotional learning. Originally from Philly, Lauren moved to Boulder in 2014 and Denver in 2018. She loves spending time her Pitbull-mix Ophie, exploring the outdoors, skiing, cooking gardening, and yoga.